IAN MAY FROM PRESTATYN INVOLVED IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE AT CAERNARFON CROWN COURT

In July 2019, a disturbing case unfolded at Caernarfon Crown Court involving Ian May, a 77-year-old resident of Steven Road, Prestatyn. The proceedings revealed that May had engaged in the possession and creation of indecent images of children, leading to serious legal consequences.

According to court reports, May had taken two laptops to a local computer repair shop in Prestatyn. During the interaction, he told a female shop assistant, “If you find anything, it’s not me,” in an apparent attempt to deny any wrongdoing. The shopworker, concerned about the nature of the devices, proceeded to examine the browsing history once one of the laptops was repaired.

Prosecutor Ffion Tomos explained that the search history and visited websites indicated a disturbing pattern of interest. The search terms and online activity suggested that May had an unhealthy and illegal fascination with child exploitation material. The investigation uncovered that May possessed images classified as the most serious category of child pornography, with 16 such images identified. Additionally, there were 21 other images depicting children in explicit contexts.

The court was informed that May’s address is on Steven Road in Prestatyn. His actions came to light after the shopworker alerted the police, leading to his arrest in October 2018. During police interviews, May claimed that he had a gambling addiction, often spending 24 hours a day online betting on horse races. He admitted that while browsing, he encountered advertisements that directed him to access indecent images of children.

May denied having any sexual interest in children, asserting that his visits to such sites were merely a way to pass the time during a difficult period in his life, under significant personal pressure. Despite his claims, the evidence was clear, and the court found him guilty of multiple charges, including making indecent images of children, possessing a prohibited image, and viewing extreme pornography.

In sentencing, Judge Huw Rees imposed an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, coupled with a rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work. The court also mandated that May register as a sex offender for the next ten years and issued a sexual harm prevention order to restrict his future activities. Additionally, May was ordered to pay costs amounting to £425.

The judge emphasized the importance of intervention, stating that May was a candidate for support from the probation service. He warned that any interest in such images fuels the demand for further abuse, underscoring the gravity of the offense. The defendant’s character was described as “exemplary” over his 77 years, and the sexual harm prevention order was not contested by his legal representatives.